


Without Sense

by EzraTheBlue



Series: Senseless [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Blind Character, Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV Era, Deaf Character, Disabled Character, M/M, Meet-Cute, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Sign Language, pre-game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-05-15 02:40:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19286428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EzraTheBlue/pseuds/EzraTheBlue
Summary: The gods gifted every person with a soulmate, but until one meets their soulmate, they are deprived of one of their senses.  Noctis was lucky and met his soulmate young. Ignis has been blind his entire life, and Noctis' new friend Prompto is deaf. Neither of them seem to be looking for their soulmate, either, but what will happen when they meet?





	Without Sense

**Author's Note:**

> I found a list of suggested Soulmate AUs here: https://tenoutofonethousand.tumblr.com/post/182978195450/soulmate-aus-for-the-signs I am a complete sucker for soulmate AUs, and Gemini spoke to me.
> 
> I've tried to demarcate when characters are speaking with sign language with italics, especially when they are only speaking sign language. 
> 
> Please enjoy!
> 
> Special thanks to Scarlett Arbuckle for beta reading! I touched it last, so any remaining mistakes are mine.

**Without Sense**

Noct considered himself lucky. He'd been born unable to feel physical sensation, hot or cold, pain or pleasure, until the age of three. He'd almost frozen solid one winter play day because he hadn't realized how cold he'd gotten playing in the snow, and he’d once caught his sleeve on fire when he failed to feel the heat of a candle. He'd never cried getting shots, at least. Then, his father introduced him to the boy who would be his Shield when he was King, and their fathers coached them to shake hands.

At the ripe old age of three, Noctis met his soulmate. Gladiolus' handshake was the first thing Noctis ever felt. Gladiolus had looked stunned for a second too, then whipped around in shock and bolted to a potted plant to gag as his anosmia vanished in the same instant. Noctis learned what touch was. Gladiolus learned what it was to smell.

Gladio brought him flowers at least once a week now. He’d started with dandelions and honeysuckles he’d yanked out of the grass around the training yard or from the gardens behind the veranda to tuck into Noctis’ hair, before sniffing at the flowers and Noctis’ brow. Now, it was bundles of roses, lilies, sylleblossoms, other things that smelled beautiful, and usually with at least one of his namesake tucked somewhere in the middle. Noctis, for his part, loved nothing more than tackling Gladio at the end of a training session and having him turn around on him laughing as they toppled over to wrestle, his weight and warmth a familiar comfort, like an old blanket.

Noctis was lucky because most people didn't meet their missing piece until much later. The gods' blessing and curse - to have one true love, but to be absent of one of your senses until meeting them - meant that the world bent around accommodating those who hadn't met their other half. Noctis felt a little guilty when he saw one of the maids asking her friend to tell her what something tasted like before serving it to a dignitary, to see Cor Leonis checking a thermometer by the door to decide if he wanted his jacket, or watching Iris and Clarus signing to Gladio and Gladio easily signing back. Regis had all of his food tasted because he'd never know if something was spoiled or bitter. Noct knew his mother had been buried without seeing him.

Regis had made it a significant goal of his kingship to make the world as accessible as possible for those who hadn't met their soulmate, or for those who never did or chose not to seek them. Books were always released in Braille as well as printed, and audio books were as common as chewing gum. Crosswalk signals had spoken alerts as well as colored signs. Menus had descriptions of flavors and scents, and lists of every ingredient for those who couldn’t taste their allergies. Warnings were always given for weather that was exceedingly hot or dangerously cold.

It was normal. Not everyone met their supposed “one and only.” He knew his dad, Cor and Clarus weren't trying to find their ideal mate - Regis and Clarus had each married a woman they’d loved and had no interest in remarriage, and Cor was married to his work. Many others gave up and found ways to be content without “true love.” Some just weren’t interested - like Ignis.

"You're lucky. You and Gladio were young," Ignis chided, and really, he sounded too old when he did that. How could someone be seventeen and act like a grouchy old grandpa half the time? Noctis grumbled wordlessly as Ignis grabbed a bottle of some sort of yellow spice, swiped a thumb across the Braille-embossed label, then measured it into a spoon. "Can you imagine what a shock it would be? To suddenly have a sense with which one wasn't born?" He poured the powdered spice into the mixture of rice and meat sizzling in the pan. Ignis navigated his kitchen and everything in it like he'd seen it a million times, though he never had, not once.

"I dunno. I mean, it was weird, yeah." Noct fidgeted, then put his cheek on the counter. "But I can't imagine a world where I never felt anything.” He shrugged, though he knew Ignis wouldn’t see. “I don't really remember what it was like before, either."

"You were young," Ignis repeated. "I've heard stories of those who gained their sense of touch back in their twenties or thirties and became so overwhelmed they had seizures. You now enjoy the warmth of the sun on your face or the embrace of two strong arms, but some had to spend weeks, months, _years_ acclimating to their new sense, bound in weighted blankets or straitjackets in temperature-controlled wellness centers until they learned to tolerate the pressure of gravity." Ignis clicked his tongue, then stirred the pot vigorously. Noct faintly wondered how he knew where everything was all the time, but he realized Ignis had adapted to his blindness almost perfectly.

Would it be strange for Ignis to see? Noct tilted his head to look under the darkened glasses Ignis wore to shield his eyes from bright lights he couldn’t sense. His eyes were unfocused, the irises unmoving. Noctis had known Ignis nearly as long as he’d known Gladio. Ignis could be pushy, stuffy, and demanding, but he cared about Noct, so Noct wanted him to be happy too.

“I guess you don’t want to find your soulmate?”

“I think that sight might be a distraction, at this point, as would any sort of…” Ignis tangled with the words for a moment, before distracting himself with a bowl of what looked suspiciously like very finely minced carrots that Noct wouldn’t be able to pick out of the rice, _the charlatan._ Ignis finished his thought with a tautly spat, “Relationship.” He dumped the vegetables in and gave the rice a good stir. “Your dinner will be but five minutes more.” He set the egg timer, five clicks, then turned his attention to the dishes in the sink. Noct snorted.

“So, no love at all for you, is that it?”

Ignis hesitated, motionless for a moment in the sunlight that caught in his combed, coiffed hair, facing the soapy water though he couldn’t see it. “I care for you, Noctis. That’s quite enough.” He found the sponge and began scrubbing down his cutting board. “I swore to be your faithful right hand, and that is enough for me. Going about looking for someone who might have died in their cradle, or who lives a continent away, or who might have found happiness with someone else and who is content without all of their senses, would be, well, senseless.” He smiled wryly, and continued to work.

Noctis understood, or at least he thought he did. Being content just to work for him, Noct didn’t like, but the rest, about going searching for someone who just might not be there, rang true. If that was how Ignis saw it, it would be a waste of energy and time.

“Besides,” Ignis went on, still smiling but with bitterness like old coffee dripping from his tones, “I can’t really _look_ for very much, can I?”

Noctis was lucky. It was hard to accept that Ignis just wasn’t.

* * *

The first day of school always involved introductions, and high school would be no different. It was both a way of giving everyone a chance to see or hear from one another (who knew when a match might come up?) and a way of sharing just where everyone stood with their senses. Noctis was the lucky one again: he would stand at the front of the room, say, “Hi, I’m Prince Noctis.” Everyone knew him. The news that the Prince’s future Shield had turned out to be his soulmate was headline news for three days and speculation material on the pundit shows for a month, and as relations with Niflheim heated and cooled, the topic still popped up again as talking heads debated marrying Noctis to someone other than Gladio for the sake of peace. He got to sit down pretty fast.

One boy Noctis was sure he’d seen before stood first, blond hair combed down but still messy on his forehead, big blue eyes, a smattering of freckles like tiny chocolate drops across cream skin, and a bright smile overcame him when he faced the class. His tie was crooked, his collar was a little wrinkled at the back. He first waved, then began to sign, and, to Noctis’ surprise, spoke clumsily but clearly as he spelled out his name with his fingers: “My name’s Prompto! S’nice to meet you!” His consonants didn’t pop, and his vowels were just a little too broad, so Noctis knew he wasn’t just signing for the benefit of everyone else. Noctis was impressed he’d learned to speak aloud.

He signed back, _“It’s nice to meet you, Prompto.”_

Prompto gasped as he looked around the classroom at nearly everyone signing back to him, then mouthed and signed _“THANK YOU”_ as big as he could, extending his arm and wiggling his fingers with enthusiasm. He scampered back to his seat, looking at content as could be.

After school, Noct was headed for the gate, when he heard a whistle behind him. He turned and saw Prompto bounding towards him across the sun-dappled sidewalk between their school and the road, waving. He skidded to a halt when Noctis stopped. Noctis tucked his bag under his arm. “Hi!” Prompto said aloud, grinning, then signed again, _“I’m impressed you know how to sign!”_

“Sure,” Noctis said, signing as he spoke and holding eye contact. He wasn’t as fast with his fingers, but he did his best to sign smoothly, pausing a little when he struggled for the right phrasing. “My boyfriend’s dad and sister are both without hearing. Gladdy-” He made the symbol for “flower” and used it to trace a G, the same way Iris did - “taught me. Sorry. I’m not very fast.”

 _“You’re okay!”_ Prompto tried to speak aloud: “You’re trying!” He signed on, a little slower now, _“I’m still working on talking. I can read lips, too, so if you don’t know a sign, just say it and point at your mouth, okay?”_

“Sure.” Noctis slipped on a smile, relaxing on his heels as Prompto, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He spell-signed the name: “Prompto, right?”

 _“P-R-O-M-P-T-O.”_ Prompto spelled the name with his fingers, then signed the P and pulled it into the sign for “chocobo,” imitating the bird running across the space in front of his chest. _“That’s me.”_

“Prompto. _Prompto._ ” Noctis tried to imitate the sign, and Prompto clapped.

“You got it!” He bounced on his heels again, beaming with glee, and speaking as slowly as Noctis signed (while still signing it out), “It’s really nice to meet you!”

“Are you sure we haven’t met somewhere before?” Noctis was sure Prompto was familiar. In fact, he was sure he’d come face to face with him a few years ago, though they hadn’t exchanged names. He remembered saying only two words with the boy staring right at his mouth, and the boy had crumpled like a stepped-on paper bag, and ran off before Noctis could have possibly said another word. Now, Noctis wondered if he’d have been able to hear him, or what he’d thought he’d said. Prompto, for his part, tapped his chin as if thinking, then shrugged.

 _“Maybe. We go to the same school.”_ Then, he held a finger up in inspiration, and signed. _“Do you want to go hang somewhere? Maybe get some sandwiches and play some video games?”_

 _“Yes, I would.”_ Noct signed back, feeling alight inside, but then he pointed to himself. “Hey, uh, for Noctis.” He signed the name Clarus and Iris both used for him: the sign for “crown” turning into the sign for “night” across his brow, then signed, _“That, or N-O-C-T.”_

 _“Okay, Noct!”_ Prompto mastered his sign in an instant, beaming, then slapped Noct on the back. Noct still enjoyed the little thrill he got when someone touched him. _“I know a great place!”_

With that, and with no regard for any of what Prompto hadn’t yet found, Noctis had made a friend.

* * *

Prompto said he was still learning how to speak out loud, but it didn’t keep him from being the biggest chatterbox Noct had ever met. He signed very quickly, faster than he could talk, probably even faster than he could talk if he’d been born with hearing and learned to speak naturally. Sometimes Noct had trouble keeping up, but he did his best because Prompto was so worth it. It helped that Prompto would catch himself, look bashful for a second, repeat himself a little slower, and mouth along with his signs like he was his own favorite song on the radio.

Prompto was funny. He made all sorts of dumb jokes, he had a big, fantastic, goofy smile, he was nice to everyone he met. He was a shutterbug, who loved taking selfies and pictures of Noct wherever they went, and he had a knack for catching good angles. The way he saw the world must have been gorgeous. Noctis loved the guy in three days flat, and if he hadn’t met Gladio twelve years ago, he might have wished Prompto were his soulmate. Instead, he started wanting for Prompto to meet his so Noct would know he would be happy.

He got on really well with Gladio, too. Noct invited him to join them the second time they skived off homework to play video games (partially so he could say he had an escort and avoid another lecture from Ignis, but mostly just so Gladio could meet him). The moment Gladio realized Prompto’s missing sense, he began to sign with him, and Prompto eagerly signed right back. They had a whole conversation that Noctis could hardly keep up with nor get a finger in edgewise, until Gladio turned towards him and slung a big arm around Prompto’s shoulder, asked, “Where’d you find this guy, huh? I’ve gotta introduce him to Iris!” His eyes glinted. “Dad, too.” Then, he leaned forward so Prompto couldn’t read his lips from his angle. “That way, he knows why we gotta expedite the background check.”

Prompto liked Gladio, too, but he seemed a little stunned at how their relationship worked: _"I can't believe you let your boyfriend beat you up!"_ Prompto gawked at the bruises on Noct's chest as they changed into their uniforms from gym clothes. Noct shrugged.

 _"T-R-A-I-N-I-N-G. I have to be able to protect myself. He says he'll die before he lets anything happen to me, but..."_ He shrugged. _"He wants to make sure. He's hard on me because he cares."_

Prompto cooed, squeezing his hands together, then signed. _"That's sweet! Kind of. If it works for you, that's great!"_ He resumed changing, and Noct eyed him curiously. As they walked towards the hall, Noct had to ask:

 _"What do you think yours will be like?"_ Prompto cocked his head, and Noct spelled it out: _"S-O-U-L-M-A-T-E."_

Prompto's mouth formed a little "oh," and he shook his head. _"I don't know. I don't think I have one."_

"No?" Noctis frowned, and noticed Prompto fidgeting with the band he wore around his wrist.

 _"No. It's complicated. I just don't think it'd make sense to go looking for someone that might not exist."_ He shrugged and put on a too-tight smile, his hands suddenly staccato in motion as if cutting himself short. _"But that's okay! Not a lot of people do meet that person. I'll be happy to meet someone nice who can sign faster than I do and who will take pictures with me."_ He walked away pretty fast, signing over his shoulder about being late, and Noct frowned to himself.

"Is that all you want?" He wondered aloud, knowing Prompto wouldn't hear. He probably didn't want to hear the answer either.

* * *

Noct started spending more time with Prompto at the arcade or chilling in town, playing King’s Knight on their phone (and it turned out Prompto was lightning-quick at texting, too). It was around the two-month mark of their friendship and two data overages on his phone that Ignis started to worry about his “new friend” being a bad influence. Noct simply countered:

“Let me bring him over to meet you, you’ll see how bad an influence he is.”

Ignis went stonefaced, glaring past Noctis’ head and trying to look intimidating with a feather duster in his hand. “No.”

Gladio tried to reassure him without getting off the sofa: “The kid’s a twig. He’s more likely to trip over his shoelaces and break his nose before hurting Noct.”

Ignis still harrumphed. Noctis just tugged his sleeve. “He’s nice, Iggy. You’d like him.”

“I suppose I’ll find out, once his background check clears and not a moment sooner.” Ignis put one of his earbuds in, likely listening to an audio recording of a meeting to make notes for Noct, and continued dusting the shelves. Gladio snorted and resumed the very important business of reading his novel with his feet on the coffee table. Noctis sometimes wondered how he knew they were dusty again, or if he just figured there’d be enough dust for it to be worth his while every other day. Noct also wondered how someone only two years older than him could be so strict.

“You’d actually keep me from having a friend if something comes up in his background - which it won’t because Prompto’s a cinnamon roll, F-Y-I - is that what you’re telling me?” Noct put his hands on his hips and pouted. Ignis could hear the pout, and Noctis knew it.

Indeed, Ignis sighed, pulled his earbud out, and turned to face Noct with mercy in his softened brow. “Noct, I want you to have friends your own age, but I worry for your safety.”

Noctis scowled. “I’m safe with Prompto. You’ll see, when you meet him. I’ll just have to tell him you’re the reason he can’t come over and help me study for the test next week.”

“He’s a lost cause, Noct,” Gladio muttered to him, and motioned for him to come to the sofa. Ignis sighed again.

“You talk as if I believe you. Again, Noct, the moment his background check clears, but no sooner.” Ignis then marched over to the sofa. “Feet off the table, Gladiolus.”

Gladio rolled his eyes and put his feet on the floor, Ignis wiped the smudge off of the exact spot they’d been, put his earbuds back in and resumed tidying the rest of Noct’s apartment. Noct settled in against Gladio’s chest, taking comfort in the familiar scent of flowers and leather, and Gladio put a big, heavy arm around his shoulder.

“Prompto’ll understand. We’re getting him cleared ASAP.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Noctis threw himself onto Gladio’s chest and lay there, feeling the gentle pressure and release of Gladio breathing under his heart.

Something Noctis had said definitely gotten through to Ignis, at least, because when Ignis gave him his lunch the next day, there was a small pouch of cinnamon-swirled snickerdoodle cookies on top, reeking of sugar, golden yellow and perfect. “For your, erm, cinnamon roll friend. A goodwill gesture, in hopes he will not foment an adverse opinion of me for doing my duty in maintaining your safety.” Ignis carded his fingers through Noct’s hair. “I’ll meet your friend soon enough.”

“I’ll tell him, Specs.” Noct pocketed the cookies. “I still want you to meet him.”

“I’m certain you do.” Ignis smiled faintly, then shooed Noctis off. “Go, have a good day at school.”

Noctis had already made a sign for Ignis to indicate him to Prompto: the sign for glasses, turning into an I as he explained the news over the lunch table in the school cafeteria. _“Specs says you can’t come over until he reads your background check.”_

Prompto looked shocked, almost tumbling off of the bench and rattling his carton of milk. _“You’re doing a background check on me?!”_ His signs were frantic and panicky, and his expression so cartoonish Noctis almost wanted to laugh.

 _“I am the Prince, so they had to.”_ Noct had learned from Prompto that making his signs a little tiny bit loose or flicking his wrists just so could convey sarcasm, or even his usual languid way of talking. _“It wasn’t my idea.”_

 _“I would hope not!”_ Prompto threw his hands up high at the end and groaned aloud. _“I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong.”_ Noctis noticed him halt to adjust that wristband he always wore before sticking his lower lip out. Noct hated the pout.

 _“Nobody does.”_ Noctis said it aloud at the same time, shaking his head. Then, he took out the cookies. _“It’s a formality. Even Specs knows it. He wanted you to have these.”_ He handed Prompto the bag, and Prompto unfolded the bag, then gasped when he looked inside.

 _“They’re PRETTY!”_ He curled hand around his beaming face with his fingers spread wide. _“Wow, that was nice of him!”_ He reached in and munched one down, signing as he ate, _“It’s not his fault. I get it. But please tell him thanks!”_

Noctis smiled and rested his hand on his cheek. “You should do it in person.” He signed it when Prompto cocked his head and signed for him to repeat. _“In person. Thank him when you meet him.”_

Prompto nodded, and Noctis filed away some hope that all of his friends could be friends. Then, he swiped one of Prompto’s french fries off of his tray, and Prompto squawked indignantly and signed a protest.

The sidewalk leading from the school’s door to the main road was crowded at the end of the day, with everyone heading out. Noctis knew he was expected to go straight home that day, and Gladio had just sent a text to let him know he’d arrived. _“We can study for that chem test together over text!”_ Prompto suggested, bright and optimistic. _“I’ll text you questions and you answer, you text me questions and I’ll answer!”_

 _“That would be good.”_ Noctis nodded, just as he caught sight of the car. _“There’s Gladdy. See you to-”_

The shotgun door opened, and Ignis stepped out, finding the ground with his foot before standing, and Noctis felt Prompto go rigid next to him. “Noct, I presume you are in the company of the famous Prompto Argentum?”

“He can’t hear you, Specs.” Noct turned towards Prompto to sign to him, when he realized Prompto had gone ice-white and was shaking. “Hey, Prompto, are you okay?”

“Is something the matter?” Ignis moved towards them, and Prompto jumped back. He jolted a few times, and Noctis realized.

He jumped at a bird chattering. He shivered when the wind blew through the trees. He flinched when a car drove past. Prompto was _hearing_ things. Noctis inhaled, gaze flicking between Ignis and Prompto with hope welling up thick in his throat, hope that Ignis would realize he was seeing, that he wouldn’t have to spell it out.

“Noctis, what’s going on?” Ignis reached for them, groping towards them. Gladio was getting out of the car now, and Prompto jerked back again, looking less than elated and more like he was about to go supernova. Noctis grabbed his arm.

"Prompto?" He stood between him and Ignis and signed, _"You okay?"_

Gladio shut the car door with a _BANG!_ Prompto let out a bloodcurdling scream. Noct jumped, but before he could react, Prompto turned tail and bolted, scrambling between students back towards the school and leaving a trail of books and pens in his wake as his backpack flew loose. "Prompto, wait!" He made to run after him, but Ignis grabbed his collar.

"Noct!" Ignis was gasping, grasping his shoulders like he was a buoy in an endlessly deep sea. "Noct - I - you!" Noct realized that Ignis' eyes were focused on him, staring as if into the sun itself, and he had gone weak at the knees. "Oh, Noctis, I can - I can -"

"You just met your soulmate and you're gawking at me?!" Noct pushed Ignis past him. "We gotta find him, he just freaked for some reason."

"Noct." Gladio gripped his arm and made him face him. "Do you know how loud the world is?" He looked to Ignis. "Or for that matter, how bright?"

Ignis was staring around, groping in front of him as he took in a new world piece by piece, wild-eyed and bewildered. Gladio moved past Noct to grab his shoulders, and Ignis jumped and twitched at his touch, before looking at him. "Oh. You're Gladio, aren't you?" He patted both of Gladio's hands, then up his arms, then looked into his face. "I'd thought you were large, but I'd… oh, Gods, Gladio, I…"

"It's a lot, I know. But you're not the only one." Gladio put his hands on either side of Ignis' head like blinders on a horse. "Prompto. Noct's little friend."

Ignis blinked a few times, still wobbling where he stood. "I heard his voice - oh, he was upset, Gladio, was he-"

"He heard you too." Gladio, stern but not angry, spoke slow and firm. "Seems like he can hear now, and I think your voice was the first thing he ever heard. Then he started hearing _everything_ else."

Noct heard a few people wandering past them wondering what was going on, then heard someone saying, "that weird boy ran past bleeding," and turned to the others. "We need to find him."

"Y-yes, yes." Ignis swallowed. "Let's… let's find him."

Noctis swallowed thickly as Gladio guided Ignis the first few steps forward. "Finally interested in looking for your soulmate, huh?"

Ignis let out a watery laugh as he staggered unevenly at Gladio's side. "I suppose it helps that I know what to look for."

Ignis was unstable on his feet, tripping at obstacles he would have thought to feel out as his depth perception confused him, but slowly and surely they made their way back towards the school. A teacher knew to look for them, and pointed them to the gym showers. "He ran that way. I think he might have tripped."

Sure enough, Prompto was huddled in the empty shower stalls, alone in the silence, with his hands clamped down over his ears. Blood streaked his face from his nose to his chin, and he was shaking and sucking back tears. Ignis moaned a little, then put a hand over his mouth. Noctis bit his lip, then pushed Ignis' shoulder. "Specs, you should…"

"I will." Ignis gathered himself, inhaling deep, then putting his shaded glasses on his forehead. He squinted as he took Prompto in, huddled in the dim corner. "Oh, he's… is that blood?"

"Take this." Gladio took a potion and put it in his palm. "He might need it." Ignis nodded again, then approached Prompto, footsteps soft. As careful as he was, though, the noise echoed on the close tile walls, and Prompto jumped, then curled deeper into himself as Ignis drew close. Ignis bit his lip, then crouched down and spoke softly.

"Prompto, right? I'm Ignis. It's nice to meet you."

Prompto shook his head, wailing, "I don't understand! I don't understand!"

Ignis startled back. "What is it? What's not to understand?"

"Igs," Gladio murmured, "I don't think he understands spoken language."

"Oh. Oh dear." Ignis pulled at his hair, then tapped Prompto's shoulder. Prompto looked at him, and Ignis pointed to his mouth. "Read lips?"

Prompto frantically signed, and Noctis translated aloud: "It's too much, he said. He can't focus. He asked if you can sign at all."

Ignis shook his head, and spoke slowly. "I have rudimentary Eos Sign Language - basic, very basic ability. And I have to do it… er… like this." He put his right hand into Prompto's. Prompto jerked back, eyes wide, but Ignis held his hand and gaze and signed into his palm as he spoke: _"I'm sorry."_

Prompto took his hand back and signed furiously. Noct translated: "He doesn't know why you're sorry. I'm going to ask him what happened to his face." Ignis' heart sank as Prompto turned his attention to Noct, and signed something back to him. "He says he… tripped and fell…"

"On his shoelaces." Gladio finished with a weighty sigh. He lifted his hands and signed, speaking for Ignis: "How's the nose?"

Prompto bit his lip, then signed something that Ignis knew meant "pain." Ignis held up the potion, and signed into his hand:

_"Let me help."_

Prompto nodded, and Ignis used the potion on his face. The swelling in his nose faded fast, the blood flow halting, and Ignis used his kerchief to clean his face. With the job done, he ran his fingertips over Prompto's cheek, down to his jaw, taking in his features. Somehow, Ignis already knew that this was what others meant when they called something "cute." Then, Ignis took his earbuds and phone from his pocket and put the buds into Prompto’s ears, then turned on a white noise app. "That should help with the sound overload." Ignis pointed at his mouth, and Prompto, big blue eyes still wet and teary, watched him speak like he never wanted to look away. "It's better?"

"Yes. Thank you," Prompto was able to say aloud, then tapped the phone screen. "Can I use this?"

Ignis passed the phone to him, and Prompto opened the text messages, put his own number in, and typed: _"I don't understand. I didn't think it was possible. I can't believe I have a soulmate."_

He sent the message and showed it to Ignis, and Ignis frowned. "I suppose I'll have to learn to read printed text now." Then, he used the text-to-speech function to read the message off. At the end of the message, Ignis frowned and dictated back, _"I don't understand why you would think so. Noctis tells me you're delightful. I never expected this either, but I don't regret that your face was the first I ever saw."_

Prompto laughed weakly and smeared at some of his drying tears, then typed back, _"I heard your voice, and it was amazing, and then everything else. It was so loud!"_

Ignis laughed mirthfully. _"Yes, it was very much like going from a tiny candle to being immersed in flame."_ He showed Prompto, then added, _"But it's not bad, is it?"_

 _"No!"_ Prompto snatched the phone back as soon as he read the message, typed and played his response as fast as he could. _"Just because I didn't think it could happen doesn't mean I don't want you! I can't wait to get to know you! I want to hear your voice again!"_

Ignis gingerly took his phone back to reply: _"And I want to see your face every day. Can I take you home? I had hoped to invite you for tea and studying at Noctis' flat, but perhaps we should both start getting acclimated to our new senses."_ He paused, then added, _"and to each other."_

Prompto read, wonder spreading over his features, then nodded and said aloud, "I like that idea." He pushed the earbuds in tighter, and looked Ignis in the face, smiling. "I teach you to sign a little, until I can talk better?"

"Yes." Ignis nodded, then slid his hand into Prompto's again. He didn't sign anything that time. "Come with me?"

Prompto held his hand tight as he led him from the shower stall, and out into a world that he and Ignis now shared every part of.

* * *

Prompto needed to wear headphones playing white noise for months, but he soon learned to enjoy music. He also learned to match a lifetime of reading lips to spoken word and then to talk aloud even more quickly. It turned out he absolutely could talk just as fast as he could sign, but whenever Ignis spoke, he listened, rapt and delighted at the sound.

Ignis needed glasses, after all, as it turned out the vision he was blessed with came with myopia. He also had to become accustomed to seeing instead of feeling his way forward. However, he wasn't so nearsighted so as to miss out on the enjoyment of seeing one of his dishes precariously arranged on a plate, of a clean room, of blue skies and green trees, the vast expanse of a lake when Noct dragged him out fishing. All of the photographs on Prompto's camera. His friends' faces. Prompto's smile.

Ignis was Prompto's conversation partner, endlessly patient as he worked through speech therapy. His sound-cancelling headphones were a gift from Ignis. Prompto helped Ignis learn his letters in return. He would hold his hand tight when they went out so he could help him learn to judge what he was seeing for himself and pulling him back if ever he neared real danger. Prompto would also happily sit down with his photo albums and help Ignis learn to match concepts and other sense memories with images.

Ignis liked to fix Prompto’s tie every morning, smiling as he smoothed his collar, and looked him all over before letting him leave the house so everyone would see the brilliant young man he was coming to love. Prompto loved to talk with Ignis about anything and everything for hours, smiling stupidly and listening to him dissertate on recipes or current affairs or anything Ignis wanted to talk about.

The contentment the two of them shared during long conversations together in Noctis' kitchen, trading smiles and snark and slipping seamlessly between speech and sign, was something Noctis wouldn't want to miss, either. It made his heart feel warm to watch them together.

Noct couldn't help but think they were lucky. They each got to learn a new side of their world and help one another learn to take in the view. Maybe Prompto and Ignis could have been happy with other lovers, or with none at all, but the two of them made much more sense together.


End file.
